Grenada's South Coast Boast - Caribbean Compass

OCTOBER 2007 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 4
GRENADINES
SAILS & CANVAS
BEQUIA
Come in and see us for all your SAILS & CANVAS needs
including CUSTOM-MADE stainless steel
BIMINI & DODGER frames at competitive prices
Located opposite G.Y.E.
(northern side of Admiralty Bay)
Tel (784) 457-3507 / 457-3527 (evenings)
e-mail: gsails@vincysurf.com VHF Ch16/68
REPRESENTATIVE
CHRIS DOYLE'S GUIDES
Check out the features that make them
the Caribbean's best sellers!
Full Color sketch charts
Aerial and scenic color photography
Up-do-date, lively and relevant text
Downloadable waypoints
& updates on the web at
www.doyleguides.com
“Have you got the latest Venezuela guide yet?”
All the info you need if you are planning a cruise!
—Continued from previous page
The Boris was sunk near a previously sunk ocean-going tug, the Westsider, creating
a unique “Twin Tugs” dive site. It will be interesting for divers to compare the rates of
marine growth and evolving fish habitat on the two vessels. These wreck dives add
variety to Carriacou’s existing natural reef and wall dive sites.
For more information contact scubamax@caribsurf.com.
Hurricane Season So Far…
As this issue of Compass goes to press, Hurricane Season 2007 is more than half
over. The two named storms having the greatest effect in the Caribbean so far,
Dean and Felix, both made their initial landfall in the Windward Islands and both
eventually became Category 5 hurricanes (the first time two Category 5 storms
have made landfall in a single season).
Hurricane Dean was a Category 2 hurricane when it swept through the channel
Carriacou’s mangroves provide a storm hide-away for yachts and local vessels. This
photo was taken as boats were sheltering from Hurricane Dean, whose eye passed
through the island chain well over a hundred miles to the north
between the islands of St. Lucia and Martinique in the northern Windwards on
August 17th. Although crops, other vegetation, and some buildings and utilities on
those islands suffered, damage was minimized by the fact that the storm was moving
relatively fast — approximately 25 miles per hour — so high winds did not last too
long. Dean then managed to avoid hitting any more landmasses until it reached
the other side of the Caribbean Sea, striking the coast of Mexico near the border
with Belize.
Tropical Depression Six was developing into Tropical Storm Felix, with winds of
approximately 50 knots, as it passed over Grenada in the southern Windwards in the
early hours of September 1st. Yachtsman John Burnie, manager of the Nautor’s
Swan charter base in Guadeloupe, tells Compass: “I was in True Blue Bay in the
southeast corner of Grenada. Between 4:00 and 5:00AM we had 45- to 55-knot
winds for a short period, indicating we were in the strong southern field of the storm.
I took some photos at that time, including ones of me getting very wet in my RIB
tender rescuing a yacht that broke free and ended up on the pontoon. So much
water and lightning I thought I was at a rave in a car wash!”
From Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, where many yachts were sheltering in the mangrove
lagoon, Jerry Stewart of Tyrrel Bay Yacht Haulout reports: “The winds we got — north
through east to south — kept the seas down. Tyrrel Bay is fairly sheltered in these
conditions even with 40- to 45-knot winds.”
The US National Hurricane Center estimated that Felix attained hurricane status
early on September 2nd while located about 155 miles east-northeast of Bonaire.
The ABC islands received gusty winds and heavy rain. Hurricane Felix made landfall
just south of the border between Nicaragua and Honduras in a region known as the
Mosquito Coast.
See cruisers’ stories of Hurricanes Dean and Felix on pages 14 and 15.
Eight Bells
• SIR JOHN COMPTON
St. Lucia’s Prime Minister John Compton died at age 82 on September 7th. Sir John,
who had the distinction of being St. Lucia’s first, fifth and eighth prime minister, was
born on the Grenadine island of Canouan on April 29th, 1925.
—Continued on next page
The late Sir John Compton, at center, enjoying the Bequia Easter Regatta
in April of this year
ROY HOPPER WILFRED DEDERER